Revere schools to be frill-free

REVERE – The state treasurer’s call for “no frills” school construction does not apply to Revere where a top educator says bare bones has been the guiding phrase for construction of five new schools in as many years.That said, Treasurer Timothy Cahill says some communities have not kept an eye on the bottom line when it comes to using state tax dollars to pay for new, multi-million dollar public schools.The treasurer has been a critic of the Newton North High School project that has ballooned to nearly $200 million. Cahill says communities should be more frugal when building new schools, partly by using off-the-shelf building designs that could cut school construction costs by 30 percent.Revere is in the midst of a public school construction spree not seen in the city since 1991 when the Garfield School was built. A new Whelan School and the Susan Anthony Middle School opened in West Revere in 2006 at a cost of $38 million.The new Rumney Marsh Middle School opens in August. Costing $31.8 million, Rumney is located between the high school and American Legion Highway.The city is working out land-taking details associated with constructing a new Paul Revere School on the existing school’s site. City officials hope to start construction in August.They gave state School Building Authority officials a commitment last December to build the new Paul Revere by mid-summer 2009 in time to open the school for the 2009-2010 school year. The city wants to build a new McKinley School by 2011.Most of the construction costs will be paid for by the state, but School Committee member Carol Tye said the new schools carry no frills price tags.She said school officials worked with architects to scale back Rumney’s construction, where possible, including the size of the school’s auditorium.The same approach is being taken with Paul Revere – Mayor Thomas Ambrosino earlier this year rejected proposals to change designs for the school’s façade, calling the plans too expensive.”We’ve been bare bones all the way. Our taxpayers can’t possibly afford more,” said Tye.Cahill, who oversees the state School Building Authority, has the power to create what he calls a model school program. He says communities that refuse to use cheaper designs might not receive state funding or would have to renovate rather than build.But architects say the state’s geography makes a one-size-fits-all approach unfeasible. Designs often have to be altered to accommodate wetlands or ledges.